MIDWESTERN EPHEMERAL WETLANDS
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Forest
Prairie/Grassland
Ephemeral Wetlands may also be referred to as
ephemeral ponds, seasonal ponds, temporary
ponds or vernal pools.
Ephemeral Wetlands are
depressional wetlands that
temporarily hold water in the
spring and early summer or
after heavy rains. Periodically,
these wetlands dry up, often in
mid to late summer. They are
isolated without a permanent
inlet or outlet, but may overflow
in times of high water. Ephemeral
Wetlands are free of fish, which
allows for the successful breeding
of certain amphibians and
invertebrates.
Savannah/Open Woodland
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EPHEMERAL WETLA
N D S :
EPHEMERAL W
E T L A N D S :
EPHEMERAL WETLAND
S:
-Summer
Although a wetland itself may not be altered, without the surrounding upland habi-
tat the "wetland "will not continue to be productive and species such as reptiles and
amphibians will eventually be lost. Many creatures that depend on Ephemeral
Wetlands for some part of their life cycle need the surrounding habitat just as
much. Frogs, toads and salamanders breed in the wetland but generally feed and
spend most of the year in the upland. Turtles "will feed in the "wetland but require
uplands for nesting.
Snow melt and spring rains fill
Ephemeral Wetlands, providing
breeding habitat for many
amphibians and aquatic inverte-
brates. The developing larvae
provide an important food source
for migrating birds.
In early spring '
frogs migrate from their
nearby 'woodland habitat
to Ephemeral Wetlands
in search of mates.
Female 'wood frogs lay
up to a thousand eggs in
rounded masses about
the size of a tennis ball.
The eggs are attached to
small twigs and branch-
es, just under the sur-
face of the 'water
(Tyning, 1990).
By mid-summer the
wetland begins to dry
out and the surrounding
upland habitat becomes
critical for the newly
emerging amphibians.
Wood frog tadpoles are
in a race against time.
They have to find food,
grow, avoid predators
and begin to develop into
frogs before the 'wetland
dries up (Tyning, 1990).
Once they emerge from
the 'water the 'wood frogs
'will spend the rest of the
year in the surrounding
uplands or 'woodlands.
Wood frogs over-winter
in leaf litter, old logs and
small burrows in the
uplands. They avoid
freezing due to an anti-
freeze like compound in
their bodies.
Many amphibians over-winter in the surrounding upland habitat during the
winter months.
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By fall there are very few traces of the once productive wetland. This dry
phase eliminates fish and completes the life cycle for invertebrates like
Fairy Shrimp whose eggs require a dry period to hatch in the spring.
Amphibians and reptiles that use Ephemeral Wetlands, such as the
one circled in blue above, need intact upland habitat. Roads, cars,
houses and buildings create barriers and hazards to migration for
wildlife and directly impact important habitat. These wetlands
need to remain linked by continuous upland habitat to other wet-
lands and wildlife populations.
FOREST Wood Ducks (left), Spotte
r (middle), Wood Frog (rl
as small as six to twelve feet across.
usually isolated from permanent waterbodies.
linked to the surrounding upland habitat.
critical habitat for many wildlife species.
important to migrating birds.
EPHEMERAL WETLANDS ARE:
• important for flood control and water quality.
• not well protected under current regulations.
• not well understood.
• difficult to identify when they dry out.
• threatened by invasive plant species.
often converted to other uses such as detention
ponds, fish ponds, agriculture, or dump sites.
being lost across the Midwest.
Upland habitat usage for a typical amphibian is repre-
sented by the green circle in the photograph above.
The population of spotted salamanders breeding in the
wetland (circled in blue) also utilizes the surrounding
upland up to 534 feet from the wetland edge
(Semlitsch, 1998). This habitat is essential for feeding
and over-wintering. Some species such as Blanding's
turtles and leopard frogs may travel up to a mile or
more away from the waterbody.
CONVERSIONS:
Many of our small Ephemeral ^Vetlands have been
drained and filled to facilitate agriculture, building new
subdivisions or other development.
This not only eliminates habitat, but aLio increases the. risk
of local flooding.
Others have been excavated to construct storm-water
detention ponds.
During rain storms pollutants are washed into these ponds.
Still others have been converted to permanent ponds for
raising fish and other forms of aquaculture.
Permanent bodies of water tend to support fish, which are
known to significantly reduce successful breeding of amphib-
ians and aquatic invertebrates.
PROTECTION ISSUES:
Ephemeral Wetlands are hard to define, identify and protect because they tend to be small, isolated and at certain times
of the year do not hold -water. These -wetlands tend to be highly productive. They -warm quickly in spring and produce
abundant quantities of food for developing amphibians, reptiles and migrating birds, especially waterfowl. Even small
sites, much less than an acre, can produce hundreds of frogs, toads and salamanders. They also provide critical links to
other -wetlands and -wildlife populations. Establishing appropriate legal protection for resources of such immense eco-
logical value is difficult, and the level of protection currently given to Ephemeral ^Vetlands varies from state to state.
SAVANNAH/OPEN WOODLAND Great Egret (left), Devil Crayfish (middle), Cope's Gray Treefrog (right) PRAIRIE/GRASSLAND Pintail Duck (left), Ribbon Snake (middle), Eastern Tiger Salamander (right)
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So, Who Cares?
YOU SHOULD!
Marbled Salamander
This community is
depending on you
for protection.
Spring Peeper
!
Gray Treefrog Tadpole
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ll I , ' I T *
EPHEMERAL WETLAND CONSERVATION
do- to- pA&t&ct awl psieA&w& Ephemeral
Support the protection of these wetlands and their surrounding habitat.
Visit Ephemeral Wetlands in your area — experience their uniqueness.
Volunteer for local restoration efforts — contact local conservation organizations.
Raise awareness in your local community to promote appropriate land use planning that will protect
Ephemeral Wetlands and their upland habitat.
Consider long-term protection options for wetlands on your private property such as conservation
easements — contact your local land trust.
Start a register of Ephemeral Wetlands in your area. (For an example see www.vernalpool.org)
Participate in local amphibian monitoring programs like frog calling surveys and amphibian and reptile
atlas projects coordinated by local conservation organizations.
Join local conservation organizations involved in wetland protection.
Visit USEPA Region 5 website at: www.epa.gov/R5water/ephemeralwetlands or the Center for Reptile
and Amphibian Conservation and Management website: http://herps.ipfw.edu/wetlands/ephemeral/
for additional information on Ephemeral Wetlands and to obtain more copies of this brochure.
For information on wetland regulations contact your state natural resource agency, county soil & water conservation district, or the US. Army Corps of Engineers.
For general wetlands information visit the USEPA wehsite at www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands or call the Wetlands Hotline 1-800-832-7828
Sponsored hy:
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MILWAUKEE PUBUC
IMUSEUMI
Declining
Amphibian
Populations NATURAL
Task Force -STORY
m PNRCS
Produced by:
The Conservation Foundation
www.theconservationfoundation.org
Place local contact information here.
PHOTO CREDITS: Page 1 top: Mike Redmer; bottom left: Michael R. Jeffords; bottom right: M. Redmer; Page 2 frog life cycle series: M. Redmer; seasonal series: Joan Jass; Page 2 bottom
left: USFWS photo by Dave Menke; bottom middle: M. Redmer; bottom right: M. Redmer; Page 3 top left: Ed Hammer; top right: AirPhotoUSA (airphotousa.com); bottom left: Bill Glass;
bottom middle: M. Redmer; bottom right: M. Redmer; Page 4: top left: United States Fish and Wildlife Service; top right: E. Hammer; bottom left: M. Jeffords; bottom middle: M. Redmer;
bottom right: M. Redmer; Page 5 background: Leo P. Kenney; clockwise from upper left: M. Redmer, B. Glass, M. Redmer, M. Redmer, M. Redmer, M. Redmer, M. Redmer, M. Redmer,
M. Redmer, M. Redmer, M. Blanford, M. Jeffords. ILLUSTRATION: Judith Huf. REFERENCES: Tyning, Thomas F, Stokes Nature Guides - A Guide to Amphibians & Reptiles. Little, Brown &
Company. Boston 1990. Semlitsch R. D., 1998. Biological delineation of terrestrial buffer zones for pond-breeding salamanders. Conservation Biology. Volume 12, pages 1113-1119.
This publication was funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under grant No. CD97501001-1.
Points of view expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Mention of trade names and commercial products does not constitute
endorsement of their use.
Printed on recycled paper - 2001
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